Husband of a Victor
by CaliforniaTexasNorthCarolina
Summary: Welcome to yet another channel! Be sure to visit my five other ones, especially the one that started it all: WizMonCruWil! Many of you were upset with the adultery in my Seam Girl's Saga epic. Bad news: there's more of that, but I think you'll approve of it! This was inspired by a scene in my Last of the Victors story, thanks to review. Allusions to slave weddings included. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Lost Love

**Chapter 1: Lost Love**

It has been a few weeks since I returned to District 12. Peeta is still in the Capitol, being treated. While he is gone, I pine for him. Well, he's been gone for a while, ever since I kissed him goodbye in the Quarter Quell arena. Oh, will I know that Peeta from the arena again? Will I ever _see_ Peeta again?

One winter's day, I come back from a hunt and enter my house in the Victors' Village to find Gale sitting at my kitchen table. I freeze at the sight of him, staring blankly.

"Door was unlocked. I let myself in," he explains. He must think I'm mad that he trespassed.

But the truth is, I'm not. In fact, seeing him here makes hundreds of memories and emotions come rushing back. Before I know what I'm doing, I am flinging myself into his arms as my body wracks with sobs. Gale says nothing, preferring to hold me and let me cry it out.

"You miss him, don't you?"

I hiccup on my tears. "Yes." Then: "How is he? That's where you just came from, right? The Capitol?"

Gale sighs. "You want the truth?"

"Might as well. I've never had the luxury of sugar-coated versions of events, anyway."

"Katniss... I don't know if Peeta is ever coming back. Not to Twelve. And not to the man he used to be."

Surprisingly, I expected as much. Maybe because I am used to placing false hope in things only to be disappointed. And even then, I usually enter situations expecting to come out the loser, or be let down in some way.

"So... what do we do?"

"I know what I want to do," Gale replies, and his voice is earnest. He pulls back so he can look me full in the face. "Katniss, I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love you. Let me take care of you. Be with you. War gives the survivors a chance to make a fresh start; rebuild. And boy, do we need it! I will make sure you want for nothing if you will only let me. Will you marry me?"

I blink in astonishment at his last question. Once upon a time, I swore I would never marry. But then, Peeta came along. Then again, I probably would not have entered marriage anyway, if Peeta came back, preferring instead to live with him.

But Peeta _isn't_ coming back, if what Gale says is true. I see that now. And who else could I look to as a partner? Haymitch? Certainly not! He is a father figure. Besides, many in Twelve assumed that Gale and I would end up together anyway; even after the Games, there were whispers of it from a small minority.

I kiss him. I pour my answer into the kiss I now share with Gale, my lips nibbling on his, twisting into them. He kisses me back with enthusiasm. The agreement is left unspoken, but still hangs in the air:

Yes. We will marry.

* * *

Hardly anyone from Twelve who survived the war has returned yet, so there are no witnesses to observe Gale's and my nuptials. Well, except for Haymitch, who graciously agrees to walk me down the aisle. And my mother, whom I call in from Four. Despite being on cool terms, I know she will want to see her only surviving daughter get married.

Apparently, that number of witnesses is sufficient enough for the Chief Clerk, as we gather in the Justice Building so Gale and I can exchange our vows.

"Gale Hawthorne, do you take Katniss Everdeen to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," my hunting partner responds with excitement. So I've been told, this is what he's yearned for the last several years.

"Katniss Everdeen, do you take Gale Hawthorne to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

A pause. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I picture Peeta, so tall and handsome, the way I knew him. In my mind, I kiss him farewell. And like a caged bird, I set him free. Goodbye, Peeta. I love you.

"I do," I reply. No one seems bothered by my private moment.

The Clerk smiles. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Gale and I turn to each other at the same moment. Taking our faces in each other's hands, we ravage each other's lips. Haymitch and my mother dutifully applaud.

The district is eerily quiet as we proceed back to my house for a Toasting. Gale and Haymitch work together to stoke the fire. As they do, Mother takes me aside and hands me some herbal leaves. They must have come from medicine stock.

"Steep this in a tea and drink it no more than six hours after Gale takes you to his bed. I know you will not want children right away."

I blush furiously as sexual images permeate my mind. "Mother..."

"I am just being practical. And protective. I know this is never want you wanted, my child. But Gale is a good man. A hard worker. Strong. He will make you happy."

I flinch. I have never been dependent on any man, and Mother's words seem to imply a lack of faith in me to find my own happiness. Besides - "And Peeta wouldn't have?"

"I'm not saying that at all! I'm saying that with Gale things are... surer."

I say nothing. I don't know what to say, really. I know Mother never expressed any ill will towards Peeta. In fact, she may have preferred him as a suitor, given his Merchant status and that she was once a Merchant herself.

The fire is ready; the toast has been burnt. Before I can turn back or change my mind, I share the bread with Gale and seal it with a kiss. There. What's done is done. No one in Twelve feels truly married until after a Toasting. And now I am a married woman. I am Mrs. Gale Hawthorne.

A tipsy Haymitch gives an awkward salute in parting. "So long, folks. Congrats, sweetheart." He staggers out the front door. His home is only feet away; he'll make it back safe, drunk as he is. Mother follows him out with a look back to me that clearly says, _Give this a chance_.

So I do. Gale can barely turn to me and ask, "What's next?" before I am pulling him up the stairs to my room - _our_ room. Slamming the door shut, I drape my arms around his neck and kiss him for all I'm worth. Gale's lips plunge into mine, and before I know it, he is pushing back into the mattress, ripping at my wedding dress - the old one that was my mother's. As we take a brief respite from our kissing, I gasp as I feel an unfamiliar organ push into me. It feels as though my holy flesh is being torn, and tears spring to my eyes from the pain. The burning only abates once the thing inside me begins to slide in and out, in and out. In the periphery, I can hear my new husband's moans and grunts. In perfect harmony, I buck my hips up into his, in an effort to keep us joined.

"Ay... Ayyy... AYYYYY! AYYYYYY!" At least that is the sound my ears tell me I'm making, as Gale pounds faster and faster. The bed itself is rocking and jolting, and I only hope it is not loud enough for Haymitch to hear next door. Or if he can, I bet he is throwing back a beer, thoroughly amused by it all.

I cry out as a wave of pleasure consumes me, my body twitching as juices burst forth from my vagina. Moments later, Gale gives a final "URRRRRRR!" and his semen squirts into me. He flops onto my equally naked and equally sweaty body, finding only just enough energy to roll off of me, totally spent.

I lie awake for a moment, contemplating what just exploded between us. Huh. So that is sex. Ambivalent to it, I roll over so as to face away from the man who took my virginity and promptly go to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Married to a Miner

**Chapter 2: Married to a Miner**

With no one in Twelve still, there is no one to run the mines - the place of employment my new husband will surely be conscripted to. Which means, Gale and I have as much time as we desire for our honeymoon. And yet, there is also nowhere particularly special for us to go and celebrate such a milestone.

It is quite the conundrum. Unable to go somewhere exotic and yet unwilling to stay in the place that will be our home, our humdrum life, I decide to split the difference. The morning after our wedding, Gale and I don our hunting jackets, our gear, and set out into the woods for a hunt.

It feels just like old times - matching Gale stride for stride, our footfalls soft as we track game. It almost makes me forget that we are no longer mere hunting partners and instead spouses.

It takes a better part of a day to reach my father's old hunting cabin by the lake where he taught me to swim. Here is where we will reside for the next few days. Gale always said we could live in the woods, at a time when the government's cruelty forced us to weigh such a calculation. Now, we are fulfilling his belief - at least temporarily.

As soon as I let us into the cabin and throw my full game bag down on the floor, Gale is on me. His mouth assails mine, his hands grope everywhere, caressing my bum, petting my thighs. Though I am not in the mood for kissing just now - in fact, I'm too tired, he is my husband and who am I to deny him? Still, I don't feel much as I kiss him back almost wearily. It takes all my effort to display some initiative as I push Gale into the single chair and straddle his waist.

As Gale begins to undress me, make love to me, I all at once imagine I am kissing a blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy instead. I imagine it is Peeta pushing my jeans down my calves, Peeta's hands dancing over the entrance of my folds, Peeta's member pushing into me and rubbing against my clit...

The conjuring of my former lover brings unexpected excitement to a previously drabby activity, and I bounce up on my husband's cock with wild abandon. I cum harder than I even did the night before. Faster, too, and Gale has to really work to get himself off.

Only when we are asleep, half-naked on the dirt floor do I pause to consider the implications of our second coitus. Can I only pleasure Gale if I imagine I am with Peeta instead? And if so, is this revelation cause for concern? I have to admit, in the moments, I remembered that I was engaged with Gale, I was just not into the acts. In fact; I went through the motions. But if I were copulating with Peeta...

I go to sleep unresolved.


	3. Chapter 3: Meant to Be

**Chapter 3: Meant to Be**

Even after returning from our honeymoon in the woods, all thoughts of the man I am married to seem to leave. And all thoughts of the man I suspect I am... still in love with seem to stay permanently stuck in my head.

It is a sunny morning in early spring as I return from a solo hunt. By now, former District 12 residents and other refugees have been returning in trickles. Upon the homecoming of Thom, the Miner Foreman, the mine officially re-opened; Gale and other able-bodied men were put to work immediately. Though from what my husband tells me, over the dinners I make sure to have ready for him when he comes home in the evenings, the hours and safety regulations are much better than they were under the Peacekeepers and the Capitol. Benefits are received, and a union is even allowed.

Anyway, as I make to go into my house and prepare myself a small lunch, I spy a stranger in my garden. He is dressed in a white tunic, and sports a crop of ashy blonde hair as he digs in the dirt. I stop short, for I suddenly realize I would know that strong back and rippling muscles anywhere. I make my final approach as if in a dream, and breathe out the name I thought I would never speak again:

"Peeta."

The figure turns, and I nearly scream with glee as I meet _his_ eyes - eyes as blue as the summer sky. It _is_ him! He stands and fully faces me, a plant in his left hand.

"Hey," he whispers.

"You came home!" My mouth and face barely conceal a giddy happiness.

"Yeah."

My eyes drift down to the plant in his hand, a gesture which Peeta picks up on. I've seen that flower before...

Peeta glances at it, too. "I found these, uh... over by the edge of the forest. It's Primrose."

Primrose. Another name I thought would die from lack of usage, dead as the person it now refers now... or used to refer to. I experience my baby sister's death anew, and dropping my bow, I stumble forward into Peeta's ready embrace. I choke on my sobs.

"I'm so sorry, Katniss," Peeta mumbles.

And yet, it feels as if no time has passed at all, being back in his arms again. Primrose may be dead, but Peeta is _alive_. And here. With me. The thought makes me smile, even through my tears, and I bury my face into Peeta's shoulder.

I forget myself. Stepping back in the embrace, I seize Peeta's face and kiss him.

Just as I thought his name would never grace my lips again, so too did I believe his own lips would never dwell there. The feeling, all at once so accustomed and yet so novel, sends an electric shock through my body, and I moan as we - finally, after months of separation, physically join in this way. It is true magic. I stagger, swoon, and Peeta steadies me, his fingers gripping just below my ribs.

The fact that there has been a seismic shift in our relationship during his absence, that my situation is not what it once was, never even crosses my mind, as Peeta touches me. His hands pet my bum and squeeze there, before he raises my leg to his waist. I happily leap into his arms; folding them about his torso, I let him half-run, half-shuffle us both into my house and up the stairs and into my bed.

A fire singes me as Peeta removes my garment, and I flail at his. It only builds and builds as skin touches skin, as Peeta finally enters me for the very first time. I gulp at the air I breathe, sounding at times like a fish deprived of water. I have him at last! But I didn't know just how badly I needed him until now.

Peeta grips the bedpost to steady himself. Only then does he thrust steadily but with increasing force into me. I buck and thrash and scream at the pleasure. Inspired, I smash my lips into his once again; what if Haymitch hears?

"Huh! Huh! Uhhhhhh... UHHHHHHHHHH! OHHHHHHHH! MMMMMMMMMMMMM!"

The bed rattles as though an earthquake has possessed. I hear the shatter of something glassy toppling off the bedside table next to us, a flash as what must be the lightbulb of the lamp going out, but I don't care. All I want now is to have this man make me -

"CUM!" I scream the word as I pull out of my heated kiss with Peeta, at the exact same moment my juices detonate out of my vagina. Peeta just growls in satisfaction as he humps me with desperation. At last, he shudders and wilts onto me, his head flopping in between my perky breasts whilst his contribution is deposited.

For a minute, two, we lie together in pure, almost physical bliss. As the rush of endorphins fades away, reality takes it place, and I nearly gasp when I realize what I have just done.

I have betrayed my wedding vows! The proof of my sin rests on my ring finger for all to see, especially the man I now hold in my arms. Did Peeta see? Does he know, or wonder? Somehow, I suspect not. We were so focused on our renuion. And anyway, he would have asked. Nevertheless, I slip my right hand underneath the pillow cradling my head. The other playing at the nape of Peeta's neck, I kiss him again.

Nobody has to know. Not Peeta, of my marriage. And definitely not Gale, of my... infidelity. An infidelity I willfully accept. My love for Peeta - and it _is_ love - has always been a puzzle to which I had no answers. Maybe there weren't answers to begin with. I can't control it. And now I don't care.

Gale Hawthorne may be my husband, but Peeta Mellark will be my paramour.


	4. Chapter 4: Goodbye Gale

**Chapter 4: Goodbye, Gale**

It does not take long for Peeta to find out my marital status, however. And when he does, he flies into a hijacked rage. He calls me a mutt and throws things at me, saying he knew I was trying to kill him in the arena and that our love was not real. Only through locking myself in Gale's and my room do I manage to avoid his wrath.

Upon calming down, Peeta explains to me that he keeps having flashbacks of the false memories the Capitol implanted in his brain. I apologize for keeping my marriage from him, explaining I only did it because I thought I had lost him forever. Seeing hope in the temporary grip his hijacking has on him, I promise to help Peeta through his trials. This endeavor only helps us fall more deeply in love.

As for Gale, he never suspects my trysts when he comes home from the mines every night. Though he does know that Peeta is back, our married status seems to be the rationality behind his zero cause for concern.

Poor fool. He places too much confidence in me, that I can be faithful.

And apparently, I place too much confidence in him too, at least to being forthcoming. For one day, I pick up the mail while Gale is at work, same as I always do. A bill here, a card from Effie wishing me a Happy Birthday (belated as it is). But it is the last missive that catches my eye: a letter from Beetee, addressed to my husband. My District 3 Victor ally and my hunting partner got to work together in District 13 during the Rebellion. The way Gale tells it, they got along famously in the weaponry department.

But neither of us have heard from Beetee in months, except that I know the old scientist has returned to his home district. Curiosity overtaking me, I open the letter. What I read consumes me with enough shock, confusion and rage to send me toppling to the floor:

 _Dear Gale,_

 _I have conferred with our experts in the Rebel camp, and they can confirm that our bombs were the ones dropped on the Presidential Mansion at the end of the war. Be advised that President Paylor may form a commission to investigate these claims. And whatever you do, do not show your wife this letter. Burn it, in fact. We both know she could work out the inferences for herself._

 _I hope you are enjoying being a married man. Take care, my friend!_

 _Best,_

 _Beetee Latier_

I find myself shaking. Those were Rebel bombs that destroyed Snow's palace. Our bombs killed my sister. Bombs crafted and designed by the man who sleeps in my bed every night.

He will answer for this. One way or another. I do not go out hunting that day. And I do not make any effort to cook dinner, as I always do before Gale arrives home. I merely sit at the kitchen table and wait for my husband to return, my anger simmering, festering. My expression remains cold in anticipation.

When Gale at last arrives, he moves to kiss me right away, but I turn my head aside. He notices, and I can feel his concern grow.

"What's wrong? Is dinner not ready?"

I feel hatred bubbling up inside of me for the man I married. Is that all he thinks is the matter? That I failed to cook _dinner_?! "No. It's not. And you're not getting any dinner until you explain _this_." I flash the letter at him. Gale takes it from me and reads line by line. When his eyes meet mine, he cringes at my cold frown.

"Well?" I demand.

"Katniss..." he sighs. "You shouldn't have read my mail."

"WELL, MAYBE NOT, BUT I'M GLAD I DID! GALE, HOW LONG WERE YOU GOING TO KEEP THIS FROM ME? YOU MADE THOSE BOMBS! THE BOMBS KILLED PRIM! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO REACT TO THE NEWS THAT MY HUSBAND MURDERED MY SISTER?! HOW CAN WE BE MARRIED WITH THAT NOT OUT IN THE OPEN?!" Although, even if it were out in the open, I still don't know how we could be married.

"I was trying to protect you!" Gale protests - a response almost as lame as his first.

I laugh derisively. "Protect? When have I ever needed protection? Don't you think I had a right to know?"

"Not if it only made you like this! Made you suffer more!" Gale continues to cling to his argument.

It's too late, though. I'm done. Done with him. "I can't believe I've slept with you. I can't believe I took your last name. Well, no longer. I divorce you; I want a divorce!"

"Katniss..."

"Don't! Go! GET OUT OF HERE, GALE! Leave Twelve!"

All at once, I hear screams from the house a few doors down. Peeta. He's having an episode. Fear in my eyes, I begin to run to him, but Gale holds me back.

"Where are you going? To _him_?" and this word has an air of malice to it. "So you can be the whore of some insane man?"

I wonder if he knows of my affair with Peeta, or at the very least, if he suspects I still love him. But what does it matter? So I respond with relish, "I'd rather be his whore than your wife!" There! Let him figure out what that means! I struggle to break free.

"No! I said, No!" Gale is fighting to hold onto me, onto what he built and achieved with me, by any means necessary.

I spit in his face. His grip loosens, and I spring for the door, wrench it open, and sprint over to Peeta's. I let myself in without knocking.

There he is, gripping the back of a chair and shaking as a flashback attempts to overtake him. At least he listened to my suggestion to find something of reality to hang onto. At the sight of me, the cloudiness of his eyes seems to go away, and he calms, straightening.

"You heard me, didn't you?"

Tenderness for this man, the man whom I should be with, am _meant_ to be with, fills me. I smile broadly and run into his arms. My lips slam into his in a passionate kiss.

As Peeta's arms go about my waist, his mouth parts my own. "Mmmmmmmm..." I hum in pleasure, and I eagerly coax his tongue through the crack, to dance with mine. My eyes sag shut. As my fingers play in his hair, they also twist at the wedding band I still wear until it is worked free and I cast it to the floor.

After what must be several sunlit days, we break apart. "You Love Me: Real or Not Real?" Peeta queries.

I peck his lips chastely with a smile. "Real. It is _you_ who I choose. It is _you_ who I love. I should be married to you. I was born to be with you." A sudden thought strikes me. "Let's have a toasting!"

Peeta blinks. "But... Gale..."

"He's gone. Or he's leaving, if he hasn't already. I will sign the divorce papers in the morning, and we can have a proper wedding at the Justice Building. But for now..." I kneel at the fireplace and begin to stoke up the flames. Peeta quickly prepares a pan of bread at the oven, bringing a slice to me so we can burn it. The crust has barely blackened before we are shoving it into our mouths and sealing it with a heated kiss.

Having released one husband and taken another all in one day, I am exhausted. Curling into Peeta, we fall asleep in each other's arms on the couch. But not before Peeta presents me with a gift, which I gladly wear on my finger: a ring with the pearl he gave me from the Quell inset, sitting where a diamond would be. It's perfect.


	5. Chapter 5: Stranger in a Strange Land

**Chapter 5: Stranger in a Strange Land**

 **Third Person POV**

Gale wasted no time in packing his things. As he struggled to the District 12 train station with a few suitcases, he tried not to listen to the whispers from the neighbors. Whispers speculating if Katniss threw him out. Or if he was leaving due to Katniss sleeping with Peeta. He wouldn't be surprised if she had.

Even with a miner's wages, the money Gale had could not get him very far. At every District stop, he had to renew his fare, until at last he felt the train slowing down and he checked his pockets to find no coins left. This was the end of the line for him, then.

A conductor now approached, checking for passports. He stopped in front of the broken-hearted Rebel hero. "Panem Grounds Control. Your pass, if you please."

Gale dutifully handed it over. "Excuse me, sir. What district is this?"

"District 7, Mr. ... Hawthorne," the conductor replied as he checked Gale's papers. "I see you are coming from District 12. And you will return again soon?"

Gale sighed sadly. "It's not very likely."

"You did not find that district beautiful?"

Gale paused. "I found it... beautiful," he echoed at last. True beauty in Katniss. Happy beauty in their marriage. Sad beauty in their separation.

The conductor clicked his heels together. "Good journey, sir."

The train wheels screamed as the locomotive came to a complete stop at the station. Slinging his rucksack over his shoulder keeping a tight grip on the suitcase in his other hand, Gale stepped off the train and into District 7. Like so many others in Panem, he was a refugee now.

The first impression Gale had of this district was that it was busy. And noisy. He knew it was not the richest district in terms of money. But it certainly was in terms of trees. And people. Everywhere he looked, Gale saw someone hawking wares as he made his way down the busy main thoroughfare:

"Vegetables! Fresh vegetables!"

"Sugar dates! Sugar dates! Sugar dates and pistachiooooooo!"

"Lumber - hot off the mills!"

"Postcards! Postcards!"

At the entrance to one establishment, Gale paused at the sight of one peddler playing a lively tune through a set of pan pipes. Shame he had no money left to tip the fellow - it was a good song. His eyes now drifted to the sign above, which indicated he had stopped at a bar. He really could use a drink right now, even if he had no means with which to pay. But perhaps a kind strange would recognize his gypsy status and provide him one free of charge. He went in.

For the middle of the day, the bar was unusually busy. Then again, perhaps it was the lunch hour for the workers; Gale observed many lumberjacks imbibing a shot or two. He took a seat at the bar.

"What'll it be, stranger?" the bartender asked.

"Scotch. On the rocks. Except I spent the last of my money on the train, so I..."

"Say no more. New refugees always get first shot for free. Kindness goes a long way these days."

Gale smiled gratefully. As he contemplated his drink, he glanced at the people around him. There were whispers about the current President's policies, conversations about new Snow sympathizers being arrested and put on military tribunals. Suddenly, a woman's scream rose up above the din:

"No! NO! GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME, YOU LITTLE..."

Gale turned to see a young woman struggling with an obviously drunk lumberjack. He was brazenly fondling her thighs, trying to pull her into his lap. The young woman had creamy skin topped with dark black hair tinged with streaks of red. As she twisted away, Gale got a look at her eyes - eyes as green as the trees that reigned supreme here.

"Hey!" Gale yelled. He rushed over and tackled the lumberjack to the floor. He felt the chair go down beside them with a clatter. Roars of approval and fear went up.

"Get off me; get off me!" the lumberjack slurred.

"What are you doing?!" the woman screeched.

"Saving your skin," Gale growled with the effort, pinning his hands further into the guy's skull. "Relax. I've got this one, honey."

"Honey?!" All at once, Gale felt someone yanking him to his feet. Then, the cool metal of an axe's blade against his neck. The lumberjack, meanwhile, stumbled to his feet and scampered out of the bar. "I was doing just fine on my own!"

"That's debatable," Gale drolled. "But why fight? Let me buy you a drink!"

The blade compressed further into his neck, and Gale worried she might draw blood. But, she finally let him go. "I don't think so."

Gale spun around so as to finally get a good look at the young woman. Face-to-face with each other, he suddenly realized just who he had saved.

"You're Johanna Mason!"

Johanna blinked. Her features softened, and she seemed to recognize Gale, too. "And you're Katniss's friend." It was an admission given begrudgingly. Indeed, Gale saw Johanna avert her gaze in a act of what might be considered shame.

"Sorry," she finally got out, and it must have taken some power to even get the word out; Gale knew District 7's only living Victor of the Hunger Games to be as proud and as stubborn as his... _ex_ -wife. "If I had known who you were, I would have... what are you doing out here, anyway?"

Gale shrugged. "I'm a refugee, like most others. Just got off the train."

A pause. Then: "Any place to stay?"

Surprised at the question, and his previous inattention to it, Gale shook his head. Johanna jerked her head to the door. "Come with me."

Confused, Gale followed Johanna out of the bar, up the main dusty street and into a neighborhood with the most well-to-do houses in all of District 7. Glancing up as he passed under a black iron archway, Gale realized why. Of course. This was the Victors' Village. The Village in this District was no better or worse than the one in Twelve, in terms of look. Gale knew that Johanna's home had produced a respectable number of Victors over the years - seven including her, if his memory served him correctly. Of the twelve mansions he now observed, five stood pristinely empty. Six more lay abandoned. Johanna approached the only one that looked as though it had been lived in and unlocked the front door, leading Gale into the entryway.

"You can sleep on the couch in the living room for now. At least until you can find a job. My advice? Look into the lumber crews - the skills required are not much different than the ones for you miners back in Twelve."

The mansion was enormous. A sparkling kitchen, living room, foyer. And a spiral staircase leading up to the second floor bedrooms. Gale took it all in, before turning back to Johanna.

"It's perfect. Thank you. I haven't any money now, but once I have a job -"

Johanna held up a hand. "Save it. No rent or charge."

"Then, at least let me buy you a drink!" Gale had always been taught that you did whatever it took to make a trade fair, to pay for a kindness in full.

Johanna raised an eyebrow. "You just said you have no money," she pointed out, calling his bluff. Gale gulped, biting his tongue. After a moment, Johanna smirked, amused. She suddenly seized some coins from the kitchen countertop and pushed them into Gale's hand.

"All right, gorgeous. Meet me at the bar after quitting time. Then you can buy me a shot." She strode out of the mansion, back to the lumber crew, while Gale stared after her.


	6. Chapter 6: Pillow Confessions

**Chapter 6: Pillow Confessions**

Late spring passed into summer. And summer soon proceeded towards fall. All that time, Gale lived with Johanna.

It did not take him long to find a job in the lumber crew. In fact, he was assigned to the same team as Johanna, so that Victor and Rebel hero worked side by side every day. Between chopping down trees and working the chainsaws, the pair eventually formed a friendship. Though it did involve an unusual amount of bickering - bickering over the proper dimensions to cut lumber, bickering over the treatment of the crews by their foremans. Yet Gale grew to relish these little arguments.

Even after Gale found work, Johanna was nice enough to continue letting him stay on her couch. Her only explanation for her reasoning was that the house was lonely and spooky when she was all by herself.

* * *

And yet, for all the happiness he was discovering for himself in District Seven, Gale at times still found himself sad over leaving District Twelve. He missed Katniss.

One crisp, autumn night, Gale's pining for his ex-wife led him to drink an excessive amount of liquor. The warmth of the drink filled him up with giddiness, clouded his mind - so much so, that he started to believe he was back in Katniss's house in Victor's Village. He hadn't felt this good since the end of the war.

Staggering up the stairs, he pushed himself into the first bedroom he came to. Here was his bed, and - presumably, to his mind - his wife sleeping on one side. Gale slipped under the covers, and promptly drew close to the figure in the darkness. Spooning her from behind, his hands groped his wife's ass, and he was delighted to find it bare. Cupping one cheek, he gave it a hearty squeeze, even as he ground his quickly-growing erection into the other cheek.

"Mmmmmmm..." The woman gave a moan as she responded in her sleep. Rolling over in the embrace so that they faced chest-to-chest, she grasped Gale's length through his jeans, rubbing him faster. Gale's hands petted down the woman's thighs, returning the affection with fervor.

The figure pushed Gale flat onto his back and moved to straddle him. Her center gracefully placed itself astride Gale's pectorals as she moved to kiss his neck. Gale's hands shifted, and he began to palm her breasts through her sleep shirt. Aroused, the woman he assumed was his wife let out a moan and paused in her worship of him to tug at her shirt. Gale helped her remove the shirt over her head with a flourish and she settled back down on top of him. Gale began to palm her breasts, nipples perky and glistening in the moonlight, once more.

Craning his neck forward, Gale spotted the hairs and folds of the woman's vagina. He took her wetness in his mouth, bottom lip suckling on her clit.

"Mmmmmm... Uhhhhhh... Uhhhhhhh..." The woman began to rock her hips into Gale's face. Juices began to pulse from the center and her legs splayed wider. Gale's mouth worked faster. Any second now, she would come on his face...

"WHAT THE HELL -?!" The scream snapped Gale out of his daze. A hand suddenly smushed his chin and flung him from the depths of the woman's core. The room was all at once flooded with light, and Gale's eyes popped wide as he realized his mistake:

Johanna Mason was in his lap - astride his chest, really - with her shirt missing. The buck-naked Victor immediately dismounted Gale and shrank away from him, horrified.

"What the fuck are you doing in my bed?! You just _violated_ me, you sick motherfucker!"

Gale's mouth opened and closed like a fish. He could feel his pants stained with his own semen, but he ignored it. He did not know what to say; he had no defense. He could only sit there dumbly as Johanna began to cry.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." he croaked lamely.

"NO! You don't understand! Too many times, I've had men do just what you did to me - and worse!" Johanna sniffled and continued, slightly more calmly, but still choked up: "After I won my Games, Snow demanded that I sleep with the highest bidders every year after that. Prostitution! Pretty soon, fucking anything that touched me in a bed became second nature. I had no other choice. There was no one left I loved; no one I loved who even wanted to make love with. Snow murdered my whole family and everyone I carried about to make me be one of his sex slaves."

Gale stared in disbelief and yet unsurprising pity, sadness and rage at what she had been made to go through. "Why?"

"Because when he first ordered me to, I refused to do it."

Gale could not help it. At Johanna's admission, he was filled to the brim with admiration for her kindred rebel spirit. Impulsively, he grabbed at the Victor's face and kissed her full on the mouth.

"MMMMMMMMMM!" Johanna let out a muffled shriek into Gale's lips. But Gale hardly heard it. The taste of her lips... it was so much better than Katniss... He pried open her jaw with his lips and slipped his tongue inside the crack. He wanted to kiss her until their mouths were bruised... He never wanted to kiss anyone else ever again...

WHAM! The burning pain of Johanna's fist connecting with his face sent Gale sprawling into the mattress and almost off the bed itself. His hand flew to his cheek and he snapped his head back to her in bewilderment. "What did you do that for?"

"YOU DIDN'T ASK!" Johanna yelled. "WHEN YOU WANT TO KISS A GIRL, ASK HER FIRST!" She flopped over onto her side facing away from him. "Get out! And good night! I'm going to sleep!"

Stunned and saddened by her reaction, Gale slunk out of the bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7: Toe in the Water

**Chapter 7: Toe in the Water**

Over the next several weeks, Johanna tried to forget about the drunken misunderstanding in her bed and move on as friends.

Gale was eternally grateful that Johanna did not throw him out of the mansion on the grounds of his essentially assaulting her. It was a miracle, honestly. The pair even continued to work together, never acknowledging that Gale had now known Johanna's womanhood, or that she had touched his length.

One day, Johanna and Gale were spending a dinner after work doing dishes at the sink. Or at least, Gale was washing the dishes that Johanna handed to him. As Gale dunked one plate into the suds filling the sink, water splashed up and out, spraying Johanna.

"AHHHH!" Johanna let out a yelp and leaped back several feet, as if she had just been burned. Gale spun back to her, frowning.

"What's wrong? It's just a little splash!" Seeing the fear in her eyes, and noticing the spillage of water, he connected the dots. "Are you... afraid of it?" The thought actually made him smile. Johanna Mason, one of the most fearless Hunger Games Victors he had ever seen, petrified by a drop of H2O. Dunking a hand in the soapy liquid, he reached out for her.

Johanna moved away instantly, as though he was holding a gun in his hand or some other deadly weapon. "No! I just am practical about not getting wet... get it away from me!"

"Get _this_ away?" Gale teased, throwing out his hand again. Johanna glared at him, clearly not charmed by his antics.

Gale frowned. OK... this was serious. Johanna had developed a full-blown phobia of one of the most harmless substances in the world, arguably. He wondered if there was anything you can do to help. He remembered seeing a lake not far from one of their lumber crew's working sites and got an idea. Drying his hand on a towel, he held it out to her.

"Come on."

Johanna frowned, eyeing him suspiciously. "Why?"

"Just come with me." Taking her by the hand, he led her out of Victors' Village.

* * *

It took at least an hour to reach the deserted working site, and the lake at the edge of it. The lake itself was a beautiful body of water, complete with a waterfall. Circling the shoreline, Gale and Johanna arrived at the shallow bank of the lake. Not once had they broken their handhold contact since leaving Johanna's house. Gale began to wade into the water. The jerk on his arm held him back.

"No!" Johanna croaked, her eyes bulging with fear. "I'm not going in there! I... I can't swim!"

Gale gawped. "But you had to swim during the Quell, and you did perfectly fine!" He actually recalled that she had been one of the first Victors to reach the rocky island holding the Cornucopia, after Katniss and the Careers.

Johanna, for her part, did nothing to refute this obvious discrepancy. "Oh, I did. Only the Capitol water-boarded me while I was captured. When I tried to enlist for the rebels, water was my final test and I failed. I don't even remember how to be in water."

Gale stared at her. Although Johanna tried to hide it, the loss of this skill had clearly saddened her. He sighed. "Well, the first trick to conquering any fear is to be consistently around the object of your fears. I'm going to help you re-learn how to swim!"

To his surprise, Johanna actually laughed. "How? You're from Twelve!"

She was right there. It was a well-known fact that hardly anybody from District 12 knew how to swim. Chiefly because there were almost no bodies of water in which to learn. Though there was a lake much like this one, in the woods of Twelve, by a certain hunting cabin...

"Katniss taught me. And her father taught her. That's why she managed to reach the horn in the Quell. Shame she didn't teach Peeta."

This last comment startled him. Was he actually showing concern for his rival's welfare? For the man who had stolen his wife away from him? What brought this on? Was it the state of being in Johanna's presence for many months, she who had been so kind to him? Gale didn't know, and at the moment preferred not to answer.

Speaking of Johanna, she still wouldn't move from the edge of the shore. Taking a deep breath, Gale waded back out until he was only ankle-deep in the tide.

"Come here."

"What for?"

"I'm going to carry you."

Johanna stared at him, still unsure. "Must you?"

"You know what they say: baby steps. We'll get to deeper water, and then I'll lower you in. I won't let go; I promise."

Gale was surprised that Johanna leaped into his arms. In fact, she folded her legs around his waist; the former miner tried to ignore the shiver that went down his spine at her touch, her proximity.

"Ready?"

He felt her nod.

They waded into deeper water. To be safe, Gale had Johanna additionally wrap her arms around his neck. Inspired, Gale did not stop wading until they were chest deep in the lapping waves, standing underneath the waterfall. The cascade of fluid drenched them. Johanna held Gale closer to her in fear. Gale could feel her heartbeat against his. His own heart started to race... but not from fear of the water.

There was sexual tension. No question about it. Gale only hoped with all his heart that Johanna could not feel his erection through his pants. As the minutes passed, Johanna slowly began to relax in Gale's embrace. Eventually, she pulled back slightly. Through the curtain of water, Victor and former miner gazed into each other's eyes.

Gale gulped. The last time he had kissed her, she had given him a black eye. But, maybe... Gathering his courage, he moved in to close the gap between their lips. He felt Johanna stiffen. He remembered her words from that night: _WHEN YOU WANT TO KISS A GIRL, ASK HER FIRST!_

"Johanna?"

"Yes?"

"Can I kiss you?"

To his amazement, Johanna smirked. " _May_ I?" Gale stared. He had never taken Johanna to care for such superfluous nuances like good grammar. But even more astonishing was when she said, suddenly:

"Yes."

Gale pulled her close. His and Johanna's lips floated closer and closer together, gradually, reverently. Gale watched as Johanna's eyes fluttered shut. Soon after, his did, too. It was rather fitting, that Johanna made the final move.

She kissed him. Upon touching his lips with hers, she gasped into his mouth. And then she moaned. Johanna weaved her hands into Gale's hair. She had never kissed anyone willingly before. The sensation was intoxicating.

As Gale and Johanna embraced and kissed, Gale slipped his hands up where he had been supporting Johanna at her thighs and groped her bum.

"Mmmmmmm..." Johanna sighed, and she suddenly, brazenly, pressed their bodies together pelvis-to-pelvis, thrusting her hips into Gale's. The brushing of their sexual organs made both break the kiss with a gasp.

"Take me to bed, gorgeous!" Johanna choked.

* * *

Gale and Johanna practically fell into her mansion, still wet and still kissing. Upon reaching her room, Johanna all but hurled Gale onto the bed and gallingly mounted him. She smirked at Gale's obvious nervousness.

"Relax, gorgeous. You weren't acting all jumpy when you had your face buried in my bush! Now, it's _my_ turn to feast!" With that, she stripped Gale naked from the waist down and took him in her mouth.

"Ohhhhhhh! Arrrrrrrrr!" Gale growled as Johanna's lips sealed over his foreskin. Raising his eyes to look at her, he nearly came at the sight of her mouth sliding up and down his length, her head bouncing up and down to the rhythm of her suckling. Her lips leaped forward almost desperately, as if she was determined to swallow him all at once.

Gale bucked up his hips until they were almost slapping Johanna's face. "UHHHHHHHHH!" His semen shot up like a geyser into Johanna's throat, and she had to adjust their position to ingest it effectively. When she finally, seductively, released with him a lick of his shaft, Gale rolled them over so that she lay under him. Thank God she had already thrown of her pants and thong before she straddled him. Gale wasted no time in slamming two fingers up her vagina.

"Gah!" Johanna yelped airily. She had no choice but to meet Gale's eyes.

"I want to _watch_ you as I fuck you!" Gale growled. She whimpered and mewled like a cat.

Raising Johanna's leg over his shoulder, Gale came down on her. He impaled his dick into her pussy, already (he was pleased to discover) dripping wet and ready for him.

"Ohhhhh... OHHHHHH! Yes, Gale, YES! HARDER! HARDER!"

"Grrrrrr... RRRRRRRR... RRAHHHHHHH!" Gale finally came into Johanna's vagina. As soon as his orgasm took over, he collapsed in exhaustion on top of her tiny frame. Heart rates slowed. Labored breathing grew more relaxed.

The couple lay like that for what seemed like hours. There was only heat. Sweaty bodies. The smell of sex in the air. Snaking an arm around Johanna, Gale squeezed one of her bare breasts in his calloused hands and kissed her temple. He assumed she had fallen asleep, so he was surprised when her voice pinged out into the long shadows of sunset, "A penny for your thoughts?"

"It's just... I can't help but compare you to Katniss. The way you talk, the way you act. Even the way you both have sex! You remind me of her - stubborn, fiercely independent, proud to a fault..."

Johanna twisted in his arms to face him, her mouth dropped open in shock. "You and Fire Girl have _fucked_?!"

Gale blushed furiously. "Well... yeah. We were briefly married after returning to Twelve. Peeta was still in the Capitol and Katniss thought he would never get better, so she tried to move on. But when he _did_ return..." He shook his head at the memory. "I have never had a chance." There was no longer any sadness in this statement, as there may have been once, not too long ago. Instead, there was only... acceptance...

For her part, Johanna seemed shocked by the revelation that Gale and Katniss were temporarily husband and wife. For a moment, Gale feared she would judge him for interfering with the Capitol's Star-Crossed Lovers romance. Instead, she shrugged. "Brainless and I are a lot alike. But, Gale... you couldn't stop their love anymore than you could make time go backwards. Katniss and Peeta have been through a lot together." She caught his eyes and held them, her gaze piercing and yet unusually tender. "Two people when they love each other - when they _really_ love each other - what else could you expect for them to share?"

Her reference to love made Gale spit out a question he had to have answered, before he could stop himself:

"Jo... do you love me?"

She eyed him bemusedly, almost skeptically. At last, she replied:

"Yes, Gale, I do love you."


	8. Chapter 8: Jump this Log

**Chapter 8: Jump this Log**

It was a peaceful Saturday in District Seven, so now clocking on the lumber crew. It was also a few weeks into Johanna and Gale's romantic relationship. Gale had now taken to affectionately calling his girlfriend, _'Jo.'_ In turn, Johanna continued to use the phrase _'gorgeous'_ as a term of endearment. She only called Gale by his name when upset with him or trying to get a point across.

As she did now, as she sashayed into the kitchen from the main foyer. "Gale, mail call!"

"That rhymed - how creative!" Gale winked. She swatted his arm as she sat on a stool next to the table. "Though I doubt there is anything for me. You go first."

Johanna leaved through the mail. "Bills... letter from Plutarch... Hunger Games winnings..."

Gale raised an eyebrow. "You still get those?"

"The royalties are for life, gorgeous! That's the deal if you win. I betcha Katniss and Peeta are still receiving them too..." She now paused as she reached an envelope with her signature. The seal on the back was fancy. It looked like an invitation. She opened it. Upon reading the card inside, her face brightened.

"Oh, how great! Carpenter Mulnobi is getting married to Debbie Selden!"

Gale chuckled. "There's a guy whose first name is Carpenter?"

"Don't ask - he actually _is_ a carpenter by trade; one of the best in the district! Comes from a long line of them. And he was kind enough to invite me to his wedding."

"Well, I should think so! You're the district's only living Victor! I bet you'll be a guest of honor!"

"A guest of honor who needs a date." Johanna turned to him, her eyes twinkling. "How 'bout it, gorgeous? Be my date?"

Gale pecked her on the lips. "Of course. Hell, I'm curious. I've never been to another district's wedding before."

* * *

On a Friday night a few weeks later, Johanna wore a strapless yellow dress while Gale wore a nice brown suit. Johanna had picked out the suit for him herself, since Gale had arrived in District Seven with almost no possessions of the fanciful variety.

The first aspect of the wedding that raised Gale's eyebrows is that it did not take place in a church. Or the Justice Building. In fact, it didn't even happen indoors at all! Instead, the whole district gathered at the edge of the woods, forming a ring around a tiny tree sapling. Gale figured it must have recently been planted. Carpenter Mulboni and Debbie Selden stood in their groom and bridal wear. A parson presided before the couple and congregation, with only a Good Book in his hand.

"Present the axes!" the parson ordered.

All at once, the bride and groom brandished the blades.

"Chop the sapling, and lay it flat!"

Having hardly any trunk at all, it took only a few whacks from the axes for the baby tree to be felled. Gale watched, curious, as the sapling was then laid flat on the grass.

"Carpenter Mulboni, do you love Debbie Selden and wish to marry her?" the parson asked.

"I do," Carpenter answered.

"Well, then, jump this log," the parson ordered.

The groom obeyed nimbly leaping the trunk.

"Debbie Selden, do you love Carpenter Mulboni and wish to marry him?"

"I do," Debbie answered the parson.

"Well, then, jump this log."

Debbie followed what her fiancé had just done.

The parson held up his hands. "Everyone, let's get to it chopping up this sapling! Someone get a lighter!"

Johanna tugged at Gale's hands. "Come on! We have to make the bonfire!"

 _A bonfire? Why?_ Gale pondered. But he followed Johanna's lead, grabbing a saw and hacking away at the sapling to create decent firewood. Gathering the firewood together, someone took a cigarette lighter to the pile and set it ablaze.

The parson now repeated the process from before. "Carpenter Mulboni, do you love Debbie Selden and wish to marry her?"

"I do."

"Well, then, jump this bonfire."

Gale watched in astonishment as Carpenter hopped over the flames without any fear at all.

"Debbie Selden, do you love Carpenter Mulboni and wish to marry him?"

"I do," Debbie answered the parson.

"Well, then, jump this bonfire." Debbie too showed no reservations in getting close to the flames. She cleared them easily.

Gale turned to his girlfriend. "What does this mean?"

"It's a test," Johanna explained. "Leaping the bonfire indicates that the couple has a serious commitment to one another that they will maintain through marriage."

Gale shook his head in bewilderment. "You know, in District 12, we only have a Toasting. We burn a piece of bread and share it over a fire, not leap over the fire itself!"

Johanna laughed. It was a rare reaction from her, and it only made Gale love it when she laughed all the more. "That sounds nice," she mused.

The parson smiled at Carpenter and Debbie. "You are married." The newlyweds kissed and everyone in the District clapped and cheered. Gale smiled at the sight. _What a lovely tradition,_ he thought. Glancing over at Johanna, he suddenly pictured her in a wedding dress. She would look stunning.

"Jo... will you marry me?"

The question was out before he could stop himself. He had only meant to think it, but somehow he had voiced it aloud. The firelight danced on Johanna's face as she turned to gape at Gale. He could see astonishment in her eyes. And something else...

Fear.

"No."

* * *

Gale never brought up the subject of marriage again for a while, and Johanna never acknowledged. Like after the time he had fondled her in her bed, the couple moved on from the moment as if it had never happened. They were still very much in love, of course, kissing and having sex. But the awkward issue was never broached.

One day, about two months after the Mulboni wedding, Gale called in sick from his work on the lumber crew. Johanna had expressed concern and offered to stay and care for him, but Gale waved her on to work.

In actuality, Gale went to the Justice Building for an interview. By the time he left close to lunch time, he had been offered the position of a Captain in the District 7 Peacekeeping force. The soldiers were less a military unit now and more of an actual police brigade, dealing out justice far more fairly than in the days of the Capitol.

Meanwhile, at the lumber work site, Johanna heard the rumor about her boyfriend from a colleague coming in late due to a conflict. "Gale's been promoted!"

"Here he comes now!" shouted a voice.

Johanna turned to see her boyfriend coming up the path, a cold glass of water in his hand. He was already dressed in a brand-new Peacekeeper uniform, looking so handsome. He offered her the glass. Johanna smiled, and accepted it gratefully, just before Gale took her by the waist, pulled her close to him and kissed her right on the mouth.

"Mmmm!" Johanna let out a startled squeak into his lips. But soon, she was gripping his uniform for support as she kissed him back, moaning. They broke apart sensuously. Johanna straightened the plates of Gale's armor.

"I heard about your promotion, gorgeous. I'm so proud of you!"

"Johanna, will you marry me?"

Johanna eyed him for a long moment. Then, she smirked, amused. "You're never gonna stop proposing, are you?"

Gale shook his head with a smile.

Johanna took a deep breath. She had never been one for marriage. She had never even considered taking a husband, her baggage from the Games being one obvious reason. But that was over now, nothing to worry about. She smiled. "Well, I suppose there are worse retirements than getting hitched. Being married to a Peacekeeper. All right, gorgeous. Yes."

Gale kissed her soundly as the entire lumber crew erupted in cheers.


	9. Chapter 9: The Second Victor He's Marrie

**Chapter 9: The Second Victor He's Married**

Invitations were sent out throughout District Seven, and the story of their hometown hero, their Victor, finding love and getting married became a local media sensation. Additionally, Johanna sent out an invitation and accompanying letter to Peeta, Katniss and Haymitch in District Twelve requesting their presence at her upcoming nuptials. She wrote on Gale's behalf, since she knew her fiancé was still too scared to face his ex-wife. In fact, Johanna thought that she wouldn't be surprised if they received no response, as she deposited the missive in the mailbox.

To both the Victor and her lover's delight, Katniss wrote back with an enthusiastic affirmative, promising to attend with Peeta and Haymitch in tow. And indeed, when the day came to gather around the sapling tree, the District 12 Victors did arrive, bearing gifts and gifts and gifts to spare.

Johanna was dressed in a stunning white bridal gown that had actually been one of Katniss's from her Capitol photo shoot; the Mockingjay had sent it with their acceptance letter as a token of goodwill. Gale was in a strapping tuxedo borrowed from a Peacekeeper colleague. The parson surveyed the scene. Along with the District 12 celebrities, the whole of District 7 was there.

"Present the axes!" the parson ordered.

Johanna and Gale looked at each other with wide grins before procuring the axes.

"Chop the sapling, and lay it flat!"

Like at the Mulboni wedding, it took only a few whacks from the axes for the baby tree to be felled.

"Gale Hawthorne, do you love Johanna Mason and wish to marry her?" the parson asked.

"I do," Gale answered with pride.

"Well, then, jump this log," the parson ordered.

Gale hopped over the log, though clumsily; in fact, he almost tripped. A few of the men chortled at the sight.

"Johanna Mason, do you love Gale Hawthorne and wish to marry him?"

"I do," Johanna answered lovingly.

"Well, then, jump this log."

Johanna hiked up her bridal train and followed Gale over.

"Come on, everybody! We still have to make the bonfire!" Gale bellowed, by now used to District 7 custom. Everyone seized an axe; Johanna presented one to her District 12 friends. Katniss took one, amused, while a drunken Haymitch clutched at his a little too enthusiastically.

"Watch old man Abernathy like a hawk with that," Johanna informed Katniss with a wink. Then, she offered an axe to Peeta, but the baker's son begged off.

"I don't trust myself to handle sharp things. I might have a flashback. I'll just watch."

Johanna nodded understandingly.

Before long, the firewood had been sliced and diced, piled together into a large bonfire. But when Carpenter Mulboni went to light the heap, his lighter would not ignite.

"Here," Haymitch offered gruffly. Unscrewing his canteen, he dumped the last of his alcohol onto the wood. "Light it up!" This time, the flames licked up the bark, turning into a healthy fire.

The parson now started the vows over. "Gale Hawthorne, do you love Johanna Mason and wish to marry her?"

"I do."

"Well, then, jump this bonfire."

Gale took a deep breath and then bravely hopped over the flames. This time, he was far less clumsy and no one chuckled.

"Johanna Mason, do you love Gale Hawthorne and wish to marry him?"

"I do," Johanna responded with confidence.

"Well, then, jump this bonfire." Johanna took a running start and leapt. She landed right in Gale's waiting arms.

But cries went up. "Fire! She's on fire!"

Johanna looked down to see her bridal train had been set ablaze. Gale quickly stamped it out with his foot. The District 7 Victor only laughed, but was soon cut off as Gale dipped her and crushed her lips in a heated kiss.

Cheers and wolf whistles went up as Johanna draped her arms around her new husband's neck, closed her eyes and happily returned the kiss. "You are married!" the parson called over the din.

Johanna and Gale broke apart, smiling into each other's eyes. "We're married," Johanna whispered with relish.

"Not yet we're not!" Gale argued suddenly. Confused, Johanna watched as he accepted a loaf of bread from Peeta. It was quite the moment, for Gale to accept something amicably from his former rival. Nevertheless, Gale sliced the bread and toasted a piece over the fire. The District 7 residents watched with intrigue, listening to Katniss as she whispered to them the significance of the District 12 tradition.

When the bread was sufficiently singed, Gale fed a piece to his wife. Johanna reciprocated for him. And then, they sealed it with a kiss.

" _Now_ we're married!" Gale announced to his bride, taking her in his arms and kissing her again, with tongue.

"Get a room!" Peeta and Haymitch hollered at the same time. Katniss whacked them both with the handle of her axe.

"Boys! Hush!"

But Gale heard none of it as he stared into his wife's eyes - the second Hunger Games Victor he had married.

* * *

The last time Gale wed, he had not experienced much of a honeymoon. And there were more people this time around to get in the way of the privacy he wished to have with his new wife. So when Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch offered to host the newlyweds back in Twelve, Gale and Johanna jumped at the chance.

The couple retreated with their friends to the mining district. After making a brief stop at the Hawthornes to visit Gale's family, the pair stayed with the Mellarks.

The same night they arrived, Johanna came downstairs in her wedding dress to find her husband talking and laughing with Peeta and Haymitch over a round of beers. Katniss watched the scene from the kitchenette, bemused.

Johanna called to her girlfriend. "Would you please tell Gale to come up and sleep with me? We're married."

Gale extracted himself from the guys and followed Johanna to their guest room upstairs. As soon as the door closed behind them, Johanna pushed him into a chair. Hitching up her wedding dress, she straddled her husband and kissed him. Within moments, she had undressed Gale and began to make love to him...


	10. Chapter 10: Johanna Mason Hawthorne

**Chapter 10: Johanna Mason Hawthorne**

The rooster let forth its song as the sun rose high over District 7. Humming in contentment, Johanna Hawthorne roused herself from sleep. Rolling over, she found her husband of three years, Gale, staring down at her lovingly. He kissed her lips tenderly before she could object.

"Good morning."

"Hmmmm. Good morning, morning breath!"

"Hey!" Gale laughed. "It's not that bad."

Johanna shrugged in half-hearted agreement. "I guess not." She rose languidly from the bed they shared. "I'll go wake Balsam."

Balsam, her and Gale's infant son, was only a few months old. But the District 7 Victor loved him dearly. As with marriage, she had never imagined herself to be a mother. Now, she didn't know what she would do without him, as she picked him up from his crib, rocked him and nursed him on her breast. After drinking his fill, Balsam fell back asleep. If Johanna was lucky, he would not wake until she could come home on her lunch break.

Running late, she and Gale showered together. Predictably, her husband tried to have sex with her, but Johanna just laughed, permitting a few kisses before pushing him away. She'd make it up to him tonight in their bed...

The sun was climbing fast in the sky as the spouses left their house in the Victors' Village. Beneath the iron archway, husband and wife turned to go in opposite directions: he for the Peacekeeper barracks, she for the lumberjack site.

Johanna suddenly felt Gale spin her around, pull her close and crush his lips to hers. Cupping his face, she kissed him back, letting his tongue invade her mouth. The couple drew apart reluctantly, as they did every morning.

"I love you, my sexy Victor."

Johanna smiled warmly. "I love you too, Gale."

And with that, man and wife parted for the day. As she watched her husband head into town, Johanna Mason Hawthorne counted herself lucky that she had a partner who understood her, a husband who loved her, a man who had given her children.

And a new life. Gale had given her a brand new life. In that sense, she was truly a lucky woman, indeed.


End file.
